World number-one Magnus Carlsen will take on GM Alireza Firouzja in the 2025 Esports World Cup Grand Final after defeating GM Hikaru Nakamura 4-3 in an epic match decided only in armageddon. Carlsen had earlier defeated GM Nihal Sarin 2.5-0.5, while Firouzja swept aside GM Arjun Erigaisi 4-1 in the other semifinal. While Carlsen and Firouzja play for $250,000, Nakamura will take on Arjun for the $145,000 third-place prize.
The final day is Friday, August 1, starting at 8 a.m. ET / 14:00 CEST / 5:30 p.m. IST.
This is a flash report—come back later for player quotes and analysis!
Esports World Cup Chess Bracket
The sixth and final match of an action-packed day’s play in Riyadh saw Carlsen take on Nakamura once again. It went all the way to armageddon, with Nakamura needing only a draw with the black pieces and coming incredibly close before the blunder of a rook allowed Carlsen to clinch victory.
The final moments as Magnus won an incredibly tense Armageddon against Hikaru to reach the #EsportsWorldCup Final! pic.twitter.com/WMHdfE8ggF
— chess24 (@chess24com) July 31, 2025
That final clash is our Game of the Day, which GM Rafael Leitao will analyze below.
This is a flash report—come back later for player quotes and analysis!
How to watch?
The 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, features chess for the first time, with a $1.5 million prize fund and $250,000 for first place, while chess players are also part of esports teams that share a $27 million prize fund. Twelve players qualified for the main event via the Champions Chess Tour, while four qualified in the Last Chance Qualifier (July 24-26) in Riyadh. The main event (July 29-August 1) is first split into four groups of four players. Half of the players will be eliminated before the top eight compete in a knockout Playoff for the top prizes. The time control for all games is 10 minutes, with no increment.
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